Artemisio
by Daemon hunter
Summary: Watching Umi practice her archery has always been one of Kotori's favourite things to do.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live. The following has been written solely for the purposes of entertainment.**

There were few things in the world that Kotori loved more than to watch Umi practice her archery. Ever since Umi had grown tall enough to handle a bow, she'd diligently honed her skills until she'd become a crack shot, able to hit the gold with nine out of every ten arrows. And she'd never lost the childish habit of cursing quietly to herself when that tenth arrow might go slightly astray, thinking that no-one else could hear her.

Kotori heard her every time, always had; she thought it was cute.

For as long as Umi had been shooting, Kotori had been there to support her. And while she didn't go to every single practice session, she made a point of going to at least one session a week. When they were in middle school, she'd simply attended to support her friend and to be her cheering section during the quiet moments Umi wasn't busy concentrating. Now she was in high school, Kotori had other, far more compelling reasons for her attendance.

It wasn't so much the archery she found fascinating (she had eventually discovered) so much as it was the archer. When Umi was shooting, she was a pillar of strength. Everything she did, every little movement betrayed the sheer physical power she embodied. On the one occasion Kotori had tried using Umi's bow about a year before, she'd barely been able to pull the string back at all. Yet with every shot, Umi drew the string until it rested against her cheek, as if the pull on the bow was absolutely nothing to her.

But Kotori's favourite moments were those when Umi went absolutely still. With bow fully drawn and arrow waiting to fly, she seemed like the most powerful person in the world. She looked like a Greek goddess fallen to earth, bow poised, hair fluttering in the breeze and wearing an expression of determined concentration. When Kotori really focused on Umi in these moments, her heart never ceased to up its tempo, belting out a percussive beat in her ears, getting faster and faster until it reached its powerful crescendo...

Then Umi would let the arrow fly and Kotori would remember how to breathe again. Sometimes, she would find she'd placed a hand over her heart without realizing, as if to still its rapid beating. In those moments, Kotori was putty in Umi's hands, if her goddess decided to grace her with her attention. Sometimes Umi would: she'd look at her and still have that expression on her face. It invariably made Kotori feel weak at the knees and she would be consumed with a desperate need, a fierce desire for the loving protection of this fallen goddess.

Today however, Umi didn't pay her the slightest bit of attention. She simply drew another arrow and repeated the process again, allowing Kotori a chance to recollect herself.

It was at times like these that Kotori wished she could draw. She could sketch clothing designs easily enough but the people she drew wearing them were always ill defined caricatures, when she chose to draw them at all. She wished she could capture the lines of Umi's arms as she held her bow in place, the firmness of her footing, the sheer beauty of her eyes. She was like a painting brought to life. When she stood still, she was a sculpture cast in the finest marble. She was art personified. The finest museums the world over would have fought to possess her.

But she wasn't art. She was a living, breathing human and Kotori guarded her jealously against anyone who might try to take her away.

"Are you alright Kotori?"

And suddenly there Umi was, a few feet from her, looking down at her with _that _look again.

Kotori hadn't realized how deep in her thoughts she'd been. Though Umi's approach had been far from stealthy, Kotori had only noticed her at the sound of her voice. "Oh yes, I'm fine Umi-chan. I was just thinking."

A look of concern crossed her features. "About what?"

This was one of the many other things she loved about Umi. On the archery grounds, she was the most powerful person Kotori had ever known. She always felt safe whenever Umi was around. But when they were alone like this, Umi would let her guard down, just a little but enough to let Kotori in. To let her close.

Kotori tapped her on the nose with a playful laugh. "About you, silly."

As regularly and predictably as clockwork, Umi averted her eyes and started to blush. "You... you shouldn't say such things..."

"Why not? I think you're amazing Umi-chan." Kotori closed the small distance between them, pressing herself firmly against the one she loved and looping an arm around her back. Umi didn't resist. "You're so strong," Kotori murmured, gently trailing her fingers down one of Umi's arms. The bluenette's skin rose in goosepimples wherever Kotori touched. "And clever," Kotori shifted her hand so that she could stroke Umi's hair. Umi glanced at her momentarily before shyly casting her eyes down again. "And beautiful," she said, cupping Umi's chin in her hand and forcing her to meet her eyes.

Umi's face was awash with colour. "I…"

Kotori leaned forward, her lips hovering just inches from Umi's. She could feel her lover's heavy breathing on her lips and smiled. If she wanted to, Umi could have easily broken free from Kotori's hold.

But she didn't. She never did.

"You what, Umi-chan?"

Though they were the same height, Umi seemed to look up to her, her gaze pleading. "Please stop saying such embarrassing things."

"You know there's one way you can shut me up Umi-chan," Kotori replied playfully.

"I…" Umi stopped and lowered her gaze. Her expression was one of torment. "Please."

And so the goddess was brought low…

Unable to resist any longer, Kotori pulled Umi in, lips crashing together passionately, their emotions raging like a storm. And Umi finally responded. While she still wasn't very good at initiating intimacy, once they got started she threw herself into it wholeheartedly. Kotori found herself being gradually pushed back until she hit the wall. Her eyes briefly fluttered open at the contact, finding her world contracted until all she could see was heavenly blue. Closing her eyes again, she let herself be washed away.

She didn't know how long they'd been kissing for when she rested a hand on Umi's rear. Whether it was by accident or design was beyond Kotori's ability to call. But it elicited a tiny squeak from the bluenette and just like that Kotori could feel her start to pull away. Unwilling to stop, refusing to let go, Kotori held her closer and deepened the kiss further. And like that, in an act of sacrilegious desecration, she broke all traces of Umi's resistance entirely. Having got what she wanted, Kotori pulled away. She tried to ignore how much she liked Umi's growl of disappointment.

"You should get back to your practice. Don't you have a tournament coming up soon?"

"But I…" Umi lowered her eyes as she whispered, "want to kiss you more."

Kotori laughed a little. "Aren't you always the one scolding others for doing what they want to do instead of what they should be doing?"

"I… fine. But when we're done…" Umi's eyes trailed to Kotori's lips.

Nodding, she agreed. "When we're done."

They settled back into their former positions, Umi shooting and Kotori watching. But now between every shot or two, Umi would sneak glances at her full of an intense longing. For her sake, Kotori pretended not to notice – if she met Umi's gaze directly, she'd get flustered and her shooting would suffer.

But when Umi drew her arrows, Kotori watched her just as intently as before. As much as she loved to watch Umi, she couldn't wait for the practice to end.

She couldn't wait to claim her goddess's lips for her own once again.

**A/N: So yeah, just a quick KotoUmi oneshot, not much to say really. Oh I have a tumblr account now. The link's in my profile. There's not really anything there at the moment but I plan on using it as a backup archive, particularly for things too short or lewd (ahem) to be posted here. **

**Thanks for reading.**


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